


still young

by milkdaze (flowerstems)



Series: if you love me, let me know [5]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Femslash if you squint, Gen, so squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 17:40:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6019030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerstems/pseuds/milkdaze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laurel thinks the best way to celebrate Valentine's (and just being alive) is to eat snow cones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	still young

There are many things that make Laurel awesome. She's adventurous, quirky, she has the sharpest sense of justice, and she has never lied to her.

That last one has to be Thea’s personal favourite. Or maybe it's the sense of justice. Thea’s still holding a rigorous internal debate over it.

Right now, Thea’s favourite quality has to be her quirkiness.

It's freezing out, that mid-February chill that sinks so stubbornly under two layers of clothes so you wear at least three, yet Laurel thinks the best way to celebrate Valentine's (and just being alive) is to eat snow cones.

Snow cones.

“Who eats snow cones in February?” Thea asks as Laurel holds two Styrofoam cups filled with shaved ice, condensed milk, and brightly coloured syrup. She offers Thea a cup with the red snow cone, holding the yellow one for herself, and Thea takes it despite asking, “Who even _sells_ snow cones in February?”

“They're snow cones,” Laurel says, as though that explains everything. Thea just furrows her brow, tips her head and the snow cone in confusion, and Laurel squeaks, tipping Thea’s cup up quickly so the milk and syrup can’t pour out. Thea snickers and Laurel purses her lips “They get a pass. Like ice cream.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. All year, all the time.”

Thea laughs, using the straw sticking out of her snow cone to crush some of the ice while Laurel slurps at the milk and syrup she can get, looping their arms together and walking along the edge of the Glades and the rest of the city.

“Next year,” Thea says, smiling at Laurel who eyes her and keeps slurping at her snow cone, “we should go to, like, Hawaii or Holland to celebrate. Instead of eating snow cones and freezing our brains.”

Laurel looks incredibly offended. “What can those places offer that a snow cone and brain freeze in our city can’t?”

“Let me think,” Thea hums, bobbing her head in that way she does when she’s about to school someone—Laurel knows it quite well. Not from being on the receiving end of it or anything like that. “There’s warmth because of the _great_ weather. Holland has great weather, right?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Laurel indulges her, mirroring Thea’s quirked brow and smiling. ”I’ve never been to Holland. Or Hawaii.”

“Well, I’m sure the weather’s great.”

“How could it possibly be better than the weather in our fine city?”

“Laurel, have you forgotten where we live?” Laurel shrugs and goes back to slurping at her snow cone, crushing some ice with her straw and sucking it up when she can’t get any more milky syrup. Thea nudges her in the side and laughs, “Even when it’s sunny here it’s cloudy.”

“Even if it’s not bright, sunny, or the best, it’s our city,” Laurel announces, sounding all proud and patriotic—Thea thinks it’s adorable, “and I love our city.”

“And I love our time together. Especially when mega-brain freezes are not included.” Laurel looks at Thea through her lashes, smiling fondly, and when she playfully swipes at Thea’s snow cone Thea yanks it out of reach.

“Thought you didn’t want the brain freeze?”

“I can endure it for you,” Thea says, puffing up her chest and biting a chunk of sweet ice out of the cup, screwing up her face and fanning her jaw, arm still looped with Laurel’s.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Laurel laughs, walking them over to a bench and sitting down beside Thea whose face is still screwed up tight.

She groans and sucks in breaths between clenched teeth, looking at Laurel with wide eyes and laughing through it. “Oh my God, I underestimated the snow cone.”

“No, it underestimated you,” Laurel replies, nodding to Thea’s now empty cup. Thea happily throws it away when her ‘brain finally thaws out.’

“That wasn’t so bad,” Thea says, smoothing her hands over her blouse and beaming at Laurel, teeth red from the syrup in the ice. Laurel finishes her snow cone and throws her cup away, smile bright and slightly yellow. They laugh at each other and Thea pulls out her phone to take a picture of them. “I’m sending this to everyone. Letting them know how the heroes of Star City spend their free time.”

“Make sure to mention how you conquered brain freeze.”

“Ah, yes, with my gorgeous expression,” Thea jokes, typing quickly at her phone then slumping against Laurel. Laurel throws an arm around her, sharing her body heat without much thought. “Hey Laurel?”

“Yeah?”

“Are we really heroes?”

Laurel is quiet for a while then she points at a woman with a child, the pair chattering excitedly and laughing, “You see those two? With the matching scarves?” Thea nods. “We help keep them safe.”

Thea smiles.

“You see those guys over there? Those noisy teenagers? You used to be just like them.”

“Wow, thanks.”

“We help keep them safe, too.”

Laurel continues pointing out everyone who walks by: children running ahead of their parents, teenagers navigating the city in their groups, adults running to stores and jobs, seniors bundled up and laughing with their families. “We protect them. You protect them.”

Thea’s grinning now, head resting on Laurel’s shoulder, and she says, “We’re doing a pretty good job, huh?”

Laurel looks at her, smoothes her hair down, and smiles. “Damn right we are.”

**Author's Note:**

> Saturday (Feb 13th): Anniversary


End file.
